From EP 0 743 219 B1, a road finishing machine with rear and front wheel gears is known. The rear running gear includes two larger wheels while the front running gear includes a pair of smaller wheels. Within a working speed range, the rear wheels are permanently driven. The front wheels may be driven as required. There are provided sensors for scanning the speeds of the wheels. By means of the sensor data, a speed difference between the front and rear wheels is detected, and the speeds of the front and rear wheels are correspondingly corrected.